Pernik sword

Last updated

The Pernik sword is a medieval double-edged iron sword unearthed in the ruins of the medieval fortress of Krakra near Pernik, western Bulgaria, on 1 January 1921. It bears an inscription in silver inlay on the blade. The sword is preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Bulgaria in Sofia. The sword is 96 centimetres (38 in) long and up to 4.5 cm (1.8 in) wide.

The blade inscription is typical of the 12th-century "garbled" in nomine type, reading +IHININIhVILPIDHINIhVILPN+. Comparable blade inscriptions range from the comparatively clear NNOMNEDMN to the heavily distorted 00NINOMINED, OIEDOMINI, INNIOINNEDINI. There is a scholarly tradition of attempts to interpret this type of inscription as abbreviations or contractions, e.g. reading INPMPNC as 'I(n) n(omine) p(atris) M(ater) p(atris) n(ostri) C(hristi)'. [1] [2] Following such proposals, Mihailov (1985) proposed a tentative reading of the Pernik inscription along the lines of "IH(ESUS). IN I(HESUS) N(OMINE). IH(ESUS) VI(RGO). L(AUS) P(ATRIS) I(HESUS) D(OMINI) H(RISTUS). IN IH(ESUS) VI(RGO). L(AUS) P(ATRIS) N(OSTRIS)". [3] By contrast, Dentschewa (2005) argued for a Lombardic interpretation of IH INI NI hVIL PIDH, INI hVIL PN, meaning 'I do not await eternity, I am eternity'. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etruscan language</span> Extinct language of ancient Italy

Etruscan was the language of the Etruscan civilization in the ancient region of Etruria, in Etruria Padana and Etruria Campana in what is now Italy. Etruscan influenced Latin but was eventually completely superseded by it. The Etruscans left around 13,000 inscriptions that have been found so far, only a small minority of which are of significant length; some bilingual inscriptions with texts also in Latin, Greek, or Phoenician; and a few dozen purported loanwords. Attested from 700 BC to AD 50, the relation of Etruscan to other languages has been a source of long-running speculation and study, with it mostly being referred to as one of the Tyrsenian languages, at times as an isolate and a number of other less well-known theories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lombards</span> Historical ethnic group of the Italian Peninsula of Germanic origin

The Lombards or Longobards were a Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamils</span> Dravidian ethno-linguistic group

The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar, Tamilians, or simply Tamils, are a Dravidian ethno-linguistic group who natively speak Tamil and trace their ancestry mainly to India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, the union territory of Puducherry, and to Sri Lanka. People who speak Tamil and are born in Tamil clans are considered Tamils. Tamils constitute 5.9% of the population in India, 15% in Sri Lanka, 7% in Malaysia, and 5% in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Peoples</span> Purported ancient seafaring confederation of invaders

The Sea Peoples are a hypothesized seafaring confederation that attacked ancient Egypt and other regions in the East Mediterranean before and during the Late Bronze Age collapse. Following the creation of the concept in the 19th century, the Sea Peoples' incursions became one of the most famous chapters of Egyptian history, given its connection with, in the words of Wilhelm Max Müller, "the most important questions of ethnography and the primitive history of classic nations".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallstatt culture</span> Archaeological culture in Europe

The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Western and Central European archaeological culture of Late Bronze Age from the 12th to 8th centuries BC and Early Iron Age Europe from the 8th to 6th centuries BC, developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of its area by the La Tène culture. It is commonly associated with Proto-Celtic speaking populations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juno (mythology)</span> Ancient Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth

Juno was an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counsellor of the state. She was equated to Hera, queen of the gods in Greek mythology and a goddess of love and marriage. A daughter of Saturn, she was the sister and wife of Jupiter and the mother of Mars, Vulcan, Bellona and Juventas. Like Hera, her sacred animal was the peacock. Her Etruscan counterpart was Uni, and she was said to also watch over the women of Rome. As the patron goddess of Rome and the Roman Empire, Juno was called Regina ("Queen") and was a member of the Capitoline Triad, centered on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, and also including Jupiter, and Minerva, goddess of wisdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepi I Meryre</span> Egyptian pharaoh, third ruler of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt in the late 24th century BC

Pepi I Meryre was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, third king of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, who ruled for over 40 years at the turn of the 24th and 23rd centuries BC, toward the end of the Old Kingdom period. He was the son of Teti, the founder of the dynasty, and ascended the throne only after the brief intervening reign of the shadowy Userkare. His mother was Iput, who may have been a daughter of Unas, the final ruler of the preceding Fifth Dynasty. Pepi I, who had at least six consorts, was succeeded by his son Merenre Nemtyemsaf I, with whom he may have shared power in a coregency at the very end of his reign. Pepi II Neferkare, who might also have been Pepi I's son, succeeded Merenre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duenos inscription</span> Old Latin text

The Duenos inscription is one of the earliest known Old Latin texts, variously dated from the 7th to the 5th century BC. It is inscribed on the sides of a kernos, in this case a trio of small globular vases adjoined by three clay struts. It was found by Heinrich Dressel in 1880 in the valley between Quirinale and Viminale in Rome. The kernos is part of the collection of the Staatliche Museen in Berlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menkauhor Kaiu</span> Pharaoh of Egypt

Menkauhor Kaiu was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Old Kingdom period. He was the seventh ruler of the Fifth Dynasty at the end of the 25th century BC or early in the 24th century BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Djedkare Isesi</span> Ancient Egyptian pharaoh

Djedkare Isesi was a pharaoh, the eighth and penultimate ruler of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt in the late 25th century to mid-24th century BC, during the Old Kingdom. Djedkare succeeded Menkauhor Kaiu and was in turn succeeded by Unas. His relationship to both of these pharaohs remain uncertain, although it is often conjectured that Unas was Djedkare's son, owing to the smooth transition between the two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nyuserre Ini</span> Ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty

Nyuserre Ini was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh, the sixth ruler of the Fifth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom period. He is credited with a reign of 24 to 35 years depending on the scholar, and likely lived in the second half of the 25th century BCE. Nyuserre was the younger son of Neferirkare Kakai and queen Khentkaus II, and the brother of the short-lived king Neferefre. He may have succeeded his brother directly, as indicated by much later historical sources. Alternatively, Shepseskare may have reigned between the two as advocated by Miroslav Verner, albeit only for a few weeks or months at the most. The relation of Shepseskare with Neferefre and Nyuserre remains highly uncertain. Nyuserre was in turn succeeded by Menkauhor Kaiu, who could have been his nephew and a son of Neferefre.

The Pillar of the Boatmen is a monumental Roman column erected in Lutetia in honour of Jupiter by the guild of boatmen in the 1st century AD. It is the oldest monument in Paris and is one of the earliest pieces of representational Gallo-Roman art to carry a written inscription.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neferhotep I</span> Egyptian pharaoh

Khasekhemre Neferhotep I was an Egyptian pharaoh of the mid Thirteenth Dynasty ruling in the second half of the 18th century BC during a time referred to as the late Middle Kingdom or early Second Intermediate Period, depending on the scholar. One of the best attested rulers of the 13th Dynasty, Neferhotep I reigned for 11 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franks Casket</span> Anglo-Saxon carved chest

The Franks Casket is a small Anglo-Saxon whale's bone chest from the early 8th century, now in the British Museum. The casket is densely decorated with knife-cut narrative scenes in flat two-dimensional low-relief and with inscriptions mostly in Anglo-Saxon runes. Generally thought to be of Northumbrian origin, it is of unique importance for the insight it gives into early Anglo-Saxon art and culture. Both identifying the images and interpreting the runic inscriptions has generated a considerable amount of scholarship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammer mill</span> Pre-industrial workshop utilizing water-driven trip hammers

A hammer mill, hammer forge or hammer works was a workshop in the pre-industrial era that was typically used to manufacture semi-finished, wrought iron products or, sometimes, finished agricultural or mining tools, or military weapons. The feature that gave its name to these workshops was the water-driven trip hammer, or set of hammers, used in the process. The shaft, or 'helve', of the hammer was pivoted in the middle and the hammer head was lifted by the action of cams set on a rotating camshaft that periodically depressed the end of the shaft. As it rose and fell, the head of the hammer described an arc. The face of the hammer was made of iron for durability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothic language</span> Extinct East Germanic language

Gothic is an extinct East Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizeable text corpus. All others, including Burgundian and Vandalic, are known, if at all, only from proper names that survived in historical accounts, and from loanwords in other languages such as Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Occitan and French.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lombardic language</span> Extinct Germanic language

Lombardic or Langobardic is an extinct West Germanic language that was spoken by the Lombards, the Germanic people who settled in Italy in the sixth century. It was already declining by the seventh century because the invaders quickly adopted the Latin vernacular spoken by the local population. Lombardic may have been in use in scattered areas until as late as c. 1000 AD. Many toponyms in modern Lombardy and Greater Lombardy and items of Lombard and broader Gallo-Italic vocabulary derive from Lombardic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knightly sword</span> Straight, double-edged bladed weapon

In the European High Middle Ages, the typical sword was a straight, double-edged weapon with a single-handed, cruciform hilt and a blade length of about 70 to 80 centimetres. This type is frequently depicted in period artwork, and numerous examples have been preserved archaeologically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lead Plaque of Magliano</span> Disk with Etruscan inscription

The Lead Plaque of Magliano, which contains 73 words in the Etruscan language, seems to be a dedicatory text, including as it does many names of mostly underworld deities. It was found in 1882, and dates to the mid 5th century BC. It is now housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Florence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Achaemenid royal inscriptions</span> 6th-4th century BCE cuneiform inscriptions

The Achaemenid royal inscriptions are the surviving inscriptions in cuneiform script from the Achaemenid Empire, dating from the 6th to 4th century BCE. These inscriptions are primary sources for the history of the empire, along with archaeological evidence and the administrative archives of Persepolis. However, scholars are reliant on Greek sources to reconstruct much of Achaemenid history.

References

  1. Drboglav, D. (1984): Zagadki latinskih klejm na mečah IX-XIV vekov (Klassifikazija, datirovka i čtenie nadpisej). Moskva.
  2. Štereva, I. (1975): Kam vaprosa za mečovete v srednovekovna Balgarija. V: Archeologia, kn. 2, 55-60.
  3. Mihailov, St. (1985): Nadpisăt na latinski ezik vărhu meča ot Perniškata krepost. V: Archeologia, kn. 3, 46 sl.
  4. Dentschewa, Langobardische (?)…, p. 1.